Amanda Anisimova gave credit to her mother Olga after mounting a major comeback to beat Iga Swiatek 6-7 (3) 6-4 6-2 and progress into the WTA Finals semifinal.
The picture was perfectly clear going into the Anisimova and Swiatek match in Riyadh - the winner would seal the No. 2 spot in Group Serena Williams, while the loser would go home. After an hour and five minutes of tough early battle, the American tennis star dropped the opening set. But then, the 24-year-old showed some great mental strength after breaking in the 10th game of the second set to force a decider, where she broke the six-time Grand Slam champion two more times to seal the important win.
ADVERTISEMENT
Anisimova, who made back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open, has been absolutely impressive in matches that have gone the distance this year as she owns a 15-3 record in three-set clashes.
Anisimova: I thought about my mom telling me about how many three-set matches I have won this year
My mom keeps telling me, 'Youve won so many three-set matches this year. Youre so strong. You can do it. So I was actually thinking about that. Against Iga today it was so so tough," the world No. 4 said after her big comeback versus Swiatek.
Anisimova now awaits the outcome of Group Stefanie Graf to learn about her semifinal opponent in Riyadh. It could be either Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula.
